Curriculum Comparison

Time Per Week in Classes

Georgia State meets every Tuesday and every other Thursday from 5:30 PM to 9:45 PM during the spring and fall semesters, and both Tuesday and Thursday during the summer.

Georgia Tech meets three hours a week for every class you are enrolled. I would estimate I would be taking six credit hours a week.

The main difference is Georgia State’s lockstep program demands three courses per semester in Fall and Spring (only two in the summer), which is a bit more rigorous than Tech’s more flexible approach.

Core Courses Comparison:

Georgia State University
3 Hours Managing in the Global Economy
3 Hours Strategic Business Communications
3 Hours Financial Statement Analysis
3 Hours Legal Environment: Ethics & Corporate Governance
3 Hours Competing on Analytics & Organizational Knowledge
3 Hours Managerial Control and Costing Systems
3 Hours Corporate Finance
3 Hours Marketing Management
3 Hours Operations Management
3 Hours Organizational Behavior
3 Hours Negotiations
3 Hours Global Competitive Strategy
36 Hours Total

Georgia Tech Curriculum
3 Hours Analytical Tools for Decision Support
1 Hours Business Communications
1 Hours Business Ethics
1.5 Hours Financial Accounting
3 Hours Financial Management
2 Hours Information Technology Management
1 Hours Integrative Management Experience
3 Hours Leadership and Organizational Behavior
2 Hours Legal Environment of Business
1.5 Hours Macroeconomic Environment of Business
1.5 Hours Managerial Accounting
1.5 Hours Managerial Economics
3 Hours Marketing Management
3 Hours Operations Management
2 Hours Strategic Management
30 Hours Total

Electives

While neither of the programs offers a “concentration”, both give students the opportunity to take the electives they choose.

State’s classes at the satellite locations, vote for the next semester electives, majority wins. If your preferred elective is not offered at your primary location you have the option of taking the classes at a different location. This helps you gear the degree toward your interests.

Georgia Tech is a part time program, all the courses offered in the day are offered at night as well. If it doesn’t fit in your schedule, the option is available to take a couple classes at different times, i.e. during the day, to meet your needs.

GSU offers 12 hours of electives of the total 48 hours of courses. Tech offers 24 hours of electives (three must be an International Business Elective) of the total 54 hours of courses.

Review

State’s program is essentially a 3:3:2 program (9 hours: 9 hours: 6 hours) and Tech is 2:2:2 (6 hours: 6 hours: 6 hours). Doing the basic math of 24 credits a year for State and 18 credits a year for Tech. State would finish in two years and Tech in three years.

Although based on the interview I had, it seems most finish the Professional MBA in seven or eight semesters. At the information session for Tech, because of flexibility in scheduling (take three classes in a semester occasionally if needed or desired), most students finish right at the three-year mark.

So Tech’s program is a little longer than State. State’s Professional MBA is ranked #7 for part time programs. Tech’s overall MBA is ranked #29 and #7 in innovative curriculum. State has an excellent regional network and reputation. Tech on the other hand is well known worldwide.